No guilt necessary for boomerang generation

The transition from college to the real world can be rough, and most graduates do not enter the workforce with a $40,000-a-year job.

Students often leave college only to fly back to their nest and live with their parents but those students should not be ashamed of that.

According to Monsters Annual Entry-Level Job Outlook in 2010, 52 percent of college graduates lived withtheir parents after graduation, a trend that has increased over the past five years. Returning home is now so common for college-age students that this generation of yuppies down on hard times has been dubbed the boomerang generation.

But when times are rough and jobs are scarce, students should not have to worry about having to face the world on their own or face shame in returning home to their parents. Rather, students should know that it is OK to return home, and they are not alone.

In a study by Pew Research Center, over 77 percent of boomerangers are satisfied with their living arrangements and optimistic about their future finances.

The boomerang generation is showing that there are many pros to moving back home. In a supportiveenvironment at home, young adults can learn the real life skills that come with paying for a home and getting a job in a way that allows room for improvement. Under the guidance of experienced parents, students can learn these lessons without fault.

In todays economy where jobs dont come easily, working multiple entry level jobs to pay rent and bills will put one in an endless cycle of barely breaking even. To achieve the goals that a college degree once put within reach, the time back in the nest is helpful to graduates who can then work on resume building and gaining more experience without having to worry about making rent.

But not all boomerangers need be moochers, nor should they be. The economic crisis is equally harsh onparents as well, and not all can support their empty nest being rehabited.

According to the Pew Centers poll, though these students cannot afford living on their own, they still help pay for housing as 75 percent said they contributed to household expenses and 35 percent said they paid rent to their parents.

As long as students realize the stay is temporary, and not a rent-free alternative living arrangement, students should feel confident and comfortable in moving back home after college.